Donald Trump calls on Apple to decrypt phones of would-be assassins, blasts Biden over Iran’s plotting

Donald Trump called on Apple Inc. to aid federal investigators in accessing phones and applications belonging to his would-be assassins.

Published on: Sep 26, 2024, 01:00:08 IST

BloombergPosted by Shweta Kukreti

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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called on Apple Inc. to aid federal investigators in accessing phones and applications belonging to two men accused of plotting assassination attempts on his life.

Donald Trump said that the FBI had been unable to access “three potentially foreign-based apps” on the phone of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the Pennsylvania man who shot at and grazed Trump’s ear during a rally in July. (AP)

The former president said that the FBI had been unable to access “three potentially foreign-based apps” on the phone of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the Pennsylvania man who shot at and grazed Trump’s ear during a rally in July.

Trump also said that alleged would-be assassin Ryan Wesley Routh, who was captured after a shootout with US Secret Service at Trump’s Florida golf club, had six cell phones that the FBI had “likewise been unable to penetrate.”

“They must get Apple to open the foreign apps, and they must get Apple to likewise open the six phones from the second lunatic,” Trump told supporters at a campaign event Wednesday in North Carolina.

Apple has for years resisted requests from law enforcement to build a backdoor into its phone operating system that would allow authorities to access data without a user’s password, saying such code could be exploited by hackers. When president, Trump criticized the company for refusing to unlock the iPhone of a Royal Saudi Air Force lieutenant accused of killing three sailors in 2021.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump slams Biden over Iran’s plotting

Trump’s call for assistance from the firm comes a day after he was briefed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on intelligence suggesting Iran was attempting to assassinate him.

While law enforcement officials have not suggested a link to either the incident in Pennsylvania or Florida, Trump said Wednesday that it was possible Iran was responsible for one or both of the attempts on his life.

Iran has targeted Trump administration officials after the January 2020 death of Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. Soleimani was killed in a drone strike ordered by Trump.

Trump criticized President Joe Biden for not doing more to respond to Iran’s plotting.

“If I were the president, I would inform the threatening country, in this case, Iran, that if you do anything to harm this person, we are going to blow your largest cities and the country itself to smithereens,” Trump said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shweta Kukreti
Shweta Kukreti has over 8 years of experience in covering Indian and world politics. She joined the Hindustan Times in 2024 and is primarily assigned to the US desk. She currently works as Deputy Chief Content Producer and reports on a wide range of topics, including US politics, immigration issues (especially H-1B visa) and major global events. Shweta strongly emphasizes team operations, which encompasses monitoring news, delegating tasks, editing, developing comprehensive coverage strategies, and crafting engaging, and data-informed narratives. She received the Digi Star Award at the Hindustan Times within a year of joining for her broad coverage of US politics. In 2025, she earned both a promotion and a redesignation, a significant achievement recognising her contributions and the strong value she brings to the team. She has previously worked with the Indian Express, HTDS, ANI and Republic World. Seniors in all the media organisations recognised her work. Regarding education, she earned a BA (Hons.) in Political Science and a master's degree from Delhi University, and she pursued a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institution of Mass Communication (IIMC). She also holds a diploma in Women's Empowerment and Development from IGNOU University and a French certification course from Alliance Française de Delhi. If not working, you can find her exploring the hills and engaging in adventurous activities in Rishikesh and Himachal Pradesh. She loves to play badminton, volleyball, and chess, and spend time with her friends and family. She also enjoys spiritual activities.Read More

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